Save
Ramen has captured the hearts of food lovers the world over. Though commonly thought of as a Japanese dish, it has its origins in China in the 1800s, before it made its way over to Japan and then was later shared internationally as the ramen we know and love today. There are several different types of ramen, and these vary largely depending on the flavor of the broth in the dish. Read on below to learn all about the types of ramen dishes, from your classic miso ramen to shio ramen.
Shoyu ramen
First up is shoyu ramen, which literally means soy sauce in Japanese. This dish has a clear, brown broth and tends to be made either with a chicken or vegetable stock base, combined with soy sauce. As you’d expect, the soy sauce adds a salty and tangy flavor profile that’s not as heavy as some of the other broths found in ramen. You’ll generally find this broth served with curly noodles, scallions, boiled eggs, bean sprouts, carrots, seaweed, pork belly, and bamboo shoots. Some chefs will vary the ingredients, switching out the pork belly for sliced beef and introducing chili oil for a spicy taste, but the list of ingredients above is the classic combination for a shoyu. It’s also possible to use other types of ramen noodles in shoyu ramen if you prefer straight or wavy noodles.
Miso ramen
Miso ramen is one of the most well-known types of ramen broth though it’s actually the youngest ramen on the block, said to have been created in the 1950s. A famous flavor outside of Japan, miso gives the broth a sharp umami taste profile. For an even heartier taste, some recipes will include ingredients like fish broth in the miso base. Usually you’ll find this dish with thick, slightly chewy noodles, alongside other additions like corn, leeks, onions, bean sprouts, ground pork, white pepper, sesame seeds, chili, and garlic. Miso is a fermented bean paste, and there are a few different types that can be used to create this broth which all offer varied flavors. White miso, for example, is light and delicate, whereas red miso will introduce darker and richer flavors to your ramen.
Tonkotsu ramen
Creamy and milky-white, tonkotsu ramen is rich, hearty, and velvety in texture. Tonkotsu means pork bone in Japanese, alluding to the way this special ramen is made. The pork bones are simmered for an extended period of time, often up to 16 hours, to ensure all of the creamy flavor is extracted from the bones. Given the time it takes to create this ramen, it’s a revered and respected dish within Japanese culture. You’ll typically find this ramen paired with ingredients like garlic, spring onion, ginger, and cuts of pork.
Shio ramen
Last in our list of types of Japanese ramen is the shio ramen. In Japanese shio means salt, and this is the oldest form of ramen. That may come as no surprise when you consider that sea salt is one of the oldest forms of seasoning that we know of. The salt provides the broth with a pale color, and usually this ramen is served with straight noodles. Light and transparent, you’ll often find this ramen made with boiled down chicken bones, and flavored with dried sardines alongside salt.
Tsukemen
Tsukemen is also known as dipping noodles, and the clue is in the name. This dish consists of cold noodles dipped into a bowl of warm soup and then served separately. The soup acts like a dipping sauce, and is stronger in taste and flavor than the broth served with ramen. It’s a fun and playful dish, offering a slightly different experience to a traditional ramen. If all of this has piqued your interest in Japanese cuisine, there’s more to be discovered than noodle-based dishes, and plenty to try cooking in your kitchen at home wherever you are in the world.
Types of noodles
Ramen noodles can be found in all shapes and sizes, including curly, straight, wavy, thick, or thin. In fact ramen literally means pulled noodles. Traditionally they’d be made by hand, and they’re always made from wheat for ramen, providing a nice chewy bite when cooked. Other noodles like udon or soba are popular in tsukemen dishes, detailed above. You may have heard of the dish, ramyeon, which is a South Korean take on a ramen. There are a few key differences between ramen and ramyeon, but one of the key variations is in the noodles. A ramyeon will always be made with dried, curly noodles, as this dish was designed by its maker to be a quick and easy way to feed people after the Korean war. Whereas with ramen, a variety of noodles is used across the different types of dishes.
Latest
